Change For The Better
by Spectrobes Princess
Summary: After the battle against the White Monster, a woman with ties to Beast Boy's past is found in the aftermath. However, her motives are unclear, and her appearance begins a chain of events that will divide the Titans and change Jump City forever. And while things may change, not all changes are for the better.
1. Prologue

_January 16, 2008_

 _Earth-24_

With a heavy sigh, Marie Logan closed the lid of her suitcase and zipped it shut. She carried it to the corner, where another identical suitcase sat. It was all the packing she could do for the moment, as she wasn't leaving for a few days, but she didn't want to wait until last minute.

The sound of crickets chirping leaked in from the open window, as did the cool night air. It was summer in the southern hemisphere, so it wasn't nearly as cold as she felt it should be. Even after living at the animal sanctuary for over a decade, the reverse seasons still didn't feel right. Yet at the same time, she wouldn't change a thing. Life on the reserve was far from peaceful, but it was an improvement on the life she had once lived.

She just didn't want to leave.

Marie shook her head and glanced at the clock. It was already 10:30- two hours after her son's bedtime. While she had told him that he could stay up a bit later than normal, somehow she doubted that he had enough common sense to go ahead and get some sleep. She didn't bother checking his room, or anywhere else inside the house for that matter. At this late at night, he was guaranteed to be outside. Especially due to the circumstances.

Just as she suspected, Marie found Garfield in the front yard. He was sitting on the grass, with the telescope he got for Christmas sitting a few yards in front of him as he gazed forlornly at the night sky. From a distance, he looked like a normal eight year old boy. However, after the accident he would never be "normal" again. Two years ago to the day, he was bitten by a monkey who was infected with the Sakutia virus. While the virus was perfectly harmless in animals, the same could not be said for humans. He would've died if not for a blood transfusion from the niece of her husband's old friend, who had been visiting at the time. However, as she was an alien, her blood caused Gar's DNA to become unstable.

The first changes had been outward. Gar's once blonde hair began to turn green at the roots. Then after loosing a baby tooth, the permanent tooth underneath grew in to reveal a pointed fang. His ears grew into points as well, much to his delight as they reminded him of Link. Finally, his skin turned a bright emerald green. The changes stopped for a while, but just when Marie thought they were in the clear something miraculous happened- Gar began to shapeshift. Poor little M'gann had been so apologetic, even to the point of crying, but as Marie and Mark assured her everything was fine. There was no way the young Martian could've known that her blood would've changed him so much, and even then it was the only way to save Gar. Sure, it took some getting used to, but all that mattered was that their son was alive.

Marie sat down next to Gar, who had obviously been crying. She wrapped an arm around him, and he buried his head in her shoulder.

"Are you done saying goodnight to M'gann?" she asked softly. Gar shook his head.

"I miss her," he whimpered.

Marie bit her lip. "I do too, but it was time for her to go home. Just like we have to."

"But this is home. First Megan leaves, and now you do! Why does everything have to change?"

Marie kissed the top of his head. "I don't know sweetie. But M'gann will come visit sometime, and me and Daddy will only be gone for a couple weeks. And if we don't go, you won't get to stay with Aunt Rita."

The mention of her best friend from her days as an actress made Gar perk up a little, but not much. He wiped the tears from his eyes and looked up at her weakly. His lip trembled, as though he was holding back more tears. She brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes, making a note to herself to give him a haircut later.

"Have you ever heard the saying, "the more things change, the more they stay the same"?" Marie asked.

Gar shook his head.

"Well, when something changes, it has a funny way of turning itself around. Sometimes, in the end it's like things never changed to begin with. Like things are right now. Before you know it, we'll be home again and M'gann will be back on earth."

It wasn't the best use of the phrase, nor did it truly capture the depth of its meaning, but it was what popped into her head at the moment. Her words didn't seem to comfort Gar though, as he was still pretty upset.

"But what about when things really do change? What happens then?" Gar asked.

"I think you're right. Sometimes change really does stick. But the thing is, when that happens it's usually because however things have changed, the new way of doing things is better than the old. Even if something happens and M'gann stays on Mars for the rest of her life, you'll make new friends. And even if we have to move away, maybe something amazing will happen to you in America that never could've happened here. Change can be scary sometimes, but I've learned that something good always comes out of it. You just have to look for it."

Gar smiled. "Do you really think that?"

"Yeah, I do. Now come on. You have worksheets to do tomorrow, so you'll need to get some sleep."

Gar jumped up and ran to the telescope, peeking through it. Marie smiled, following him more slowly.

"Good night, Megan. I know we'll see each other again someday."

He turned around, hugged his mother, and ran back inside the house. Out of curiosity, Marie looked into the telescope as well, being careful not to bump it (it had taken Gar forever to find Mars). Despite the telescope being a fairly basic one that didn't show the planet very well, she could still tell that something was… off. A bad feeling hit her suddenly, and she forced herself away from the telescope. As she turned away and walked towards the house, the feeling grew stronger until she forced herself to snap out of it.

Marie had no idea how much her words would mean to her son six years later.


	2. Brightest Day

(3/17/18)

… **.**

 **Change For The Better**

 **Chapter One: Brightest Day**

… **..**

 _May 16, 2014_

Beast Boy ran away from Murakami High, tears bubbling up at the corners of his eyes. Terra's final words to him rang in his ears and stabbed him in the chest. The feeling was more painful than any wounds he ever received. A battle wound could be healed- this could not.

He stopped, leaning up against a lamp post and wiping the tears from his eyes. He took his communicator from his pocket and tried to ignore the feeling of his heart shattering. Flipping open his communicator, he checked the location of his teammates. The warehouse was just around the corner, which meant the white monster was as well. He tried his hardest to forget about Terra, but he couldn't.

Forcing himself to move on, he blinked his tears away and transformed into a cheetah. Zipping past the sidewalk, he swerved into the entrance of the warehouse. The monster loomed over him, attacking his fellow Titans with ease. Beast Boy growled, lunging forward to attack. The monster spotted him and pushed past his teammates. Beast Boy skidded to a halt as the monster ran past him and out the door, but it was too little too late. He crashed into a pile of boxes, which began to collapse over him. Turning into an elephant, he broke free from the avalanche.

"Where's it going?" he yelled, transforming back to his normal self.

Robin frowned. "I don't know. Come on, we need to find it before it can do any more damage!"

Beast Boy nodded, turning into a falcon. He flew out the doorway and ascended above the buildings. He spotted a large white blur in the distance, and prepared to land. However, a gust of wind knocked him to the side, pushing him into a distant alleyway.

He fell on top of a dumpster, and slid off onto the concrete. He groaned and turned back into a human. Why couldn't anything go right today? All he wanted was to get Terra back and defeat this monster. Was that too much to ask?

As he was about to run away, he heard a quiet whimper from behind the dumpster. He turned around, shifted into a gorilla, and threw the dumpster to the side. Against the wall, a disheveled young woman lay curled up in the fetal position. A large gash on her neck was oozing blood, which ran down her tanned skin and puddled up on the pavement. The scratches and bruises covering the rest of her body looked painless in comparison.

" _Help me!"_ she screamed.

Her mouth never opened.

Beast Boy felt his eyes widen. Even after all these years, he recognized the touch of a telepath on his mind. He shifted back into a human and crouched over her. Reaching for his communicator, a feeling of helplessness overwhelmed him. He pushed the emergency button and shoved it back in his pocket.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm here," he whispered, pushing her hair away from the wound on her neck.

The woman closed her eyes, and her lips twitched into a faint smile. Beast Boy felt her presence in his mind, and mentally reached out to her. After his days in the Doom Patrol, and even his life from before, the feeling was familiar and comforting to him.

" _My name is M'yri'ah. I was attacked by my fellow Martian. Please, help!"_

…

"My name is M'yri'ah. I am of the last survivors of Mars, and I know who is attacking your city."

Beast Boy stared out the window of the Titans Tower infirmary. He bite his lip, lowering his head slightly. M'yri'ah's condition has stabilized, and her Martian biology made the healing process much faster than it would've been for a human with such injuries. He would know. After all, it was a Martian's blood that completed the antidote that saved his life all those years ago. It was the reason he never had to worry about minor scrapes or bruises.

Pressing his cheek to the window, he carefully listened as the alien continued to tell Robin her story.

"The white monster of which you speak is not from the planet of Earth. He hails from my home planet, Mars. There were many of his kind, all equally vile and despicable. We did our best to exile these White Martians, but there were too many, and our planet suffered the consequences."

Rage stung at Beast Boy's veins, and his heart tightened in his chest. Closing his eyes, he interrupted as politely as he could manage.

"Not all White Martians were evil," he said, voice cracking. "Some of them were good."

M'yri'ah scowled. "You did not know them as I did. I recognized a Martian's touch on your mind the moment we met. You must have been young, to have known one so intimately. However, you must learn to see past the bias of youth in order to understand the truth."

She noticed the way he was blinking back tears, and her gaze softened.

"Perhaps you would be able to assist me."

Beast Boy felt the tension in his muscles release itself as he looked into her eyes. He saw fear and sadness in her eyes, and despite her earlier slander he knew he needed to hear her out.

"My husband and daughter were on a different escape pod than I was. Ever since our planet was destroyed, I have spent my whole life trying to find them. When I found the White Martian, I was so desperate to find them I confronted him, because I didn't know what else to do. But then I met you, and I sensed the remnants of your mental link. And I thought, maybe, just maybe, together we could find them. Please, I'm begging you."

A sense of grief and duty hit him like a ton of bricks. He looked at Robin, who didn't seem so sure.

"Have you tried going to Martian Manhunter about this? He would be more help than us."

The woman shook her head. "I apologize. It's… complicated. I'm afraid I cannot."

Robin frowned. "Beast Boy? Can I talk to you for a second?"

Beast Boy followed his leader into the hallway, shutting the door behind him.

"We have to help her!" Beast Boy insisted. "Maybe you could talk to Batman! He probably knows where some of the escape pods landed!"

Robin frowned. "Something isn't right here. It just doesn't add up."

Beast Boy knew that look. It was the look Robin often gave him when his ideas were about to be shot down.

"What do you mean?" he asked. The words hadn't even left Robin's mouth, but he already felt his heart being crushed for what was far from the first time that day.

"I don't think M'yri'ah is telling the whole truth. If she's really from Mars, why doesn't she want to go to Manhunter for help?"

Beast Boy bit his lip. "I don't know. Sometimes, we just don't know why people do things. But that doesn't mean we can't help them! Please, Robin. I just have to help."

Robin looked at the door to the infirmary. "We'll talk about this in the morning. I need to look into this first."

With that he left, leaving the young changeling as alone as he felt.

…

 **Hi again! Spectrobes Princess here! Thanks for reading my fic- it means a lot to me!**

 **I've just got a few important notes to make. First of all, I'm planning to update weekly (on Saturdays), but my schedule is pretty hectic right now so I might not be able to post every week. I'll try to update regularly though. I'm planning to start posting this to AO3 as well, so if anyone prefers that site I just thought I'd let you know it should be up there by the next time I update.**

 **This is** **technically** **the first book in a series I'm working on (I say technically since my Jinx backstory fic is set in the same continuity).** **It's been my little project for the past few years, though I'm just now getting around to actually writing it. It's basically my season 6 (and 7, and 8, and 9…), but it's going to incorporate a lot of DC characters (such as** **the Justice League** **) who weren't in the original show. The Titans will still definitely be the main focus, but I like exploring how other DC characters might exist in the Teen Titans universe.** **I've been having a lot of fun with it so far.**

 **Another note is that M'yri'ah** **isn't an OC** **.** **Make of that what you will.**

 **Anyways, thank you everyone who followed, reviewed, and added this story to their favorites!**

 **Vatara-** **Hi there!** **Thanks,** **I'm glad you like it** **! I was impressed with how well it turned out too.** **I felt like a flashback would be an appropriate way to start a story about change.** **I like seeing snippets of Gar's past as well, especially since the show only went into the Doom Patrol aspect of it** **:)**

 **Guest- It's set in the TT universe- I just like borrowing elements from other shows. I'm using 2014 as the year Thing Change was set in for a few different reasons, mainly because that's when I started working on this series. It just kind of helped to have a specific year in mind when I was mapping out the timeline, and I didn't feel like I necessarily had to use the year it aired. Sorry if I confused you! I probably should've put an author's note on the prologue to clear that up!**

 **Halsee71- Aww, thank you! BBTerra fics are unfortunately pretty rare, but I'm glad you like mine so far!**

 **Quote of the day:**

" _Anything can be a fidget spinner if you have determination."_ -my sister

 **May the odds be ever in your favor,**

 **~Spectrobes Princess**


	3. The File

3/31/18

…

 **Change For The Better**

 **Chapter Two: The File**

… **.**

 _May 17, 2014_

As the sun began to rise over Jump City, Beast Boy sat silently by the water. He watched as the water glistened in the sunlight, marking the dawn of a new day. None of the other Titans would be awake at this hour, as far as he knew. While Robin often woke up early to train, and Raven to meditate, on the occasion they did it was uncommon for them to leave the tower. Starfire usually took Silkie on his walks in the mornings, but she wouldn't wake up for another hour or so. As for Cyborg, he had stayed up later than usual the previous night to update the tower's security system, and he would probably want to sleep in. This left Beast Boy alone with his thoughts, which he needed.

He sighed, skipping a rock on the water. There wasn't any use denying it- he missed Terra. Her stories of the places she'd traveled to, the way her eyes would light up when she laughed at his jokes, the feeling of her hand brushing against his as they walked back to the T-Car after a fight… it was all gone now. Before he left to fight the Brotherhood of Evil, there was hope that he would see her again someday. Even after Raven tried every spell and Cyborg ran every test he could think of, Beast Boy knew that one day they would find some way to bring her back. The thought kept him going through the hardest of challenges, when nothing else could. But now Terra was back, and she never wanted to see him again.

His heart was broken. Even before he became a Titan, Beast Boy was no stranger to the feeling of losing someone you love. He had received news of the death of his parents only a day after he learned that his best friend was dead. While you would think he was used to the feeling of grief by now, the truth was that it didn't get any easier. With each loss, the ache in his heart only grew stronger. He tried to put on a brave face for the other Titans, tried to be the funny Titan who always made everyone laugh. But there was only so much pretending he could do before he hit the breaking point.

"Garfield? Would it be alright if I sat with you?"

He looked up and saw M'yri'ah looming over him, still in the human form he found her in. Martians were shapeshifters as well as telepaths, so they usually avoided their true forms. While Beast Boy didn't remember telling M'yri'ah his real name, he knew that Martians had the tendency to unintentionally learn things they shouldn't know thanks to their mind reading powers.

"Go ahead," he sighed.

Any other time, and he would've been thrilled to see a Martian again. But after what happened with Terra, M'ryi'ah's presence only served as a reminder of someone else he lost. However, in spite of his grief he still felt a sense of duty towards her. He couldn't help but feel that perhaps, if he could help her find her family, it would make up for what happened.

M'yri'ah sat next to him, staring at the edge of the water.

"I do not believe your friend likes me."

Beast Boy looked up. "Who, Robin? Nah, he's just like that sometimes. I think he's just stressed out."

M'yri'ah frowned, using her powers to levitate a rock in front of her face. She crushed it into a powder, which fell into the water.

"He mistrusts me."

It was a statement, rather than a question. While it was a relatively obvious guess, Beast Boy still couldn't help but feel concerned about how often she may have been using her powers. He brushed it off, noting that she probably wasn't that used to humanity's social boundaries yet.

"That doesn't mean he hates you," Beast Boy insisted. "He just has trust issues. Besides, you'll find your family some way or another. I'll make sure of it."

M'yri'ah sighed. "If this Robin is your leader, I don't see how you could be much assistance without his permission, which I doubt he'll give."

Beast Boy shook his head. "It doesn't matter. We can go without them if we need to."

"In that case, what are we waiting for?"

…..

As he and M'yri'ah walked through the streets of Star City, Beast Boy couldn't help but feel as though this was a bad idea. At the very least, he felt as though they should've waited until the other Titans were awake. Chances were, at least one of them would've been willing to go with them, if not the whole team. Besides, sneaking out like this just felt… wrong. However, it had been years since Mars was destroyed. If M'yri'ah was ever going to find her family, time wasn't something they could waste.

"We won't be away for very long anyways," M'yri'ah had insisted. "If all goes well, you will return home by sundown."

Beast Boy wasn't going to hold her to that. Even though he had been away from Jump City for so long, now the city only brought back painful memories. He needed some space. Alone time would've been nice, but having a mission to focus on was even better. However, getting his mind off Terra wasn't working as well as he hoped it would. With every step he took, he couldn't help but wonder how she was doing. Where was she staying? Were her new friends decent people? What if she was in trouble?

He tried not to worry, but he couldn't help it. Even though he and M'yri'ah had been walking for hours now, instead of feeling farther away from his problems he only felt closer to them. It was as though he took his troubles with him instead of leaving them behind.

"Maybe we should've took the T-Car," Beast Boy sighed. His legs were starting to ache from all the walking. He had switched to flying a few times, but it didn't really help conserve energy. It just changed which muscles would get tired.

M'yri'ah shook her head. "Your vehicles are merely an inconvenience. I attempted to use one myself, in the earlier days of my search. I found it too difficult to remember all the laws pertaining to its use."

"Oh, okay then," Beast Boy said weakly. "We're almost there, right?"

M'yri'ah smiled sadly. "Yes, of course. Unfortunately, I fear that this is my only lead now. The police station in this city owns a file that contains the locations where the other escape pods crashed. If I can remember which one my husband and daughter were on, we may be able to search the general area for more information."

"Why didn't you look at the file earlier?" Beast Boy asked. "Did you just learn about it or something?"

M'yri'ah shook her head. "No, I've known of its existence for a long time now. However, the last time I tried to see it, they denied me access to it. I believe that since you are a Titan, however, they may feel more confident about your intentions."

As if right on que, the police station appeared in the distance. Beast Boy smiled in relief. Finally, their efforts would pay off.

"I won't let you down!" he promised, walking through the door.

The woman at the reception desk looked up from her computer. She seemed a little surprised, yet held her composure.

"May I help you?" she asked.

Beast Boy realized that he forgot to ask M'yri'ah for more details about the file.

"Um," he began nervously. "I'm looking for a file? About the locations of the Martian escape pods?"

"I'll look for it," she said, walking away from the desk. "Just wait right here."

Beast Boy sighed, sitting down on one of the chairs in the lobby. It was weirdly empty. The receptionist was the only person he saw. Before he could overthink things too much, his communicator began to ring.

"Oh crap," he sighed. His ears drooped, and he answered the call. "Hello?"

Much to his surprise, the hero on the other side of the screen wasn't a Titan.

"Superboy?" he asked. "How did you get a communicator?"

"The League communicators can link to the Titan communicators in emergencies," Superboy explained. "I got a call from Robin last night. He said I should check on you."

Well, _that_ would've been nice to know during the Brotherhood of Evil fiasco.

"What did Robin say?" he asked, growing suspicious.

Superboy frowned. "He said enough. Are you sure your friend is who she says she is?"

In an instant, Beast Boy went from suspicious to annoyed. "Of course she is! And I'm tired of everyone accusing her of lying!"

Superboy matched his tone. "I'm not trying to! I want it to be true as much as you do, but it doesn't add up!"

The receptionist walked back in the room, empty handed.

"Look, it's been a nice talk, but I need to put you on hold."

"Gar-"

"Bye Kon."

He ended the call.

The receptionist sighed, sitting back down at her desk. "I'm sorry, but the contents of the file were moved to Gotham City last week."

Beast Boy frowned. This was turning into something a bit longer than a one day trip. He did the math. If memory served, it would take at least half a week to go from Star to Gotham, and that wasn't even on foot! On the other hand, maybe they could rent a car or take the bus. And surely the Titans could survive without him for a few days. Especially since it was to help a friend…

"That's okay! Thanks anyways!" he said, walking out the door.

"Wait!" the receptionist yelled.

Beast Boy turned around to face her. She seemed nervous, as though she was debating on whether or not to say anything.

"Before I even started working here, we switched over to a digital filing system for most of our records. If whatever was in that file was sensitive enough to warrant keeping a physical copy..."

Beast Boy felt his face pale. He nodded his head, biting his lip.

"I know that you probably know what you're doing, but please. Be careful."

"I will," he promised.

… **.**

 **Hey guys! Sorry I couldn't update last week. I was dealing with stress/anxiety issues and I had to take a step back. I'm feeling a lot better now, so things should be back to normal. I plan to double up on updates at some point to get back on track.**

 **Thank you everyone who followed and added this story to your favorites!**

 **Quote of the day:**

" _If an optimist had his left arm chewed off by an alligator, he might say, in a pleasant and hopeful voice: 'Well, this isn't too bad. I don't have my left arm anymore, but at least nobody will ask whether I am right-handed or left-handed.' However, most of us would say something more along the lines of: 'Aaaaaah! My arm! My arm!'"_ -Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events

 **May the odds be ever in your favor,**

 **Spectrobes Princess**


	4. Finding Chemo

5/6/18

… **..…..…..…..….….….…..….**

 **Change For The Better**

 **Chapter Three: Chemo**

… **..**

 _May 17, 2014_

Meanwhile at the tower, things were relatively peaceful. Robin had just finished his morning training, and was preparing to deal with the aftermath of the M'yri'ah situation. Although things still didn't add up, he knew Beast Boy wouldn't take no for an answer. Besides, he knew that if the Martian was telling the truth, his refusal to help her find her family would haunt him for the rest of his life. While he wished he would've been able to contact J'onn the previous night, as much as asking for help from the Justice League wounded his pride, he still felt confident enough to tell Beast Boy to go ahead.

When he walked into the common room, he was greeted by the usual sights of Titans Tower in the mid-morning. Raven was curled up on the couch, reading a book and drinking a cup of herbal tea. Starfire sat next to her, excitedly describing the various dogs she had encountered on her walk with Silkie. Raven didn't seem engrossed enough in her book to be annoyed, luckily, as she continued reading with only the occasional, one-word response to Starfire's questions. Silkie purred, weaving between Robin's feet as Cyborg emerged from the room's other entrance.

"M'yri'ah's gone from the med bay. I think she's probably off somewhere with Beast Boy," Cyborg yawned.

Raven nodded, only barely glancing up from her book. "I saw them when I went to the roof to meditate."

"Oh, I do hope she has recovered," Starfire sighed, concern glistening in her eyes.

Robin frowned. "With her Martian biology, it shouldn't take her long to heal. Has anyone seen Beast Boy since then? I need to talk to him."

Cyborg shook his head. "I haven't seen him today."

"Nor have I," Starfire added.

Robin didn't want to immediately jump to conclusions, yet he had a sinking feeling he knew where the youngest Titan was. He felt like an idiot for not looking for him sooner, or at least ending the previous night on a better note.

"Cyborg, try calling Beast Boy. I'll see if I can track his location."

Robin turned on the computer, entering his password as quickly as he could type. Cyborg frowned, staring at his computer in confusion.

"He's not picking up."

"Maybe Starfire should try," Raven suggested.

As Starfire too was rejected, the computer beeped, signaling the end of the search.

 _Tracker disabled. Last known location: Jump City, California. Device disabled: three hours ago._

"I'm calling the Watchtower."

Cyborg and Raven exchanged a confused glance. "But I thought we decided-"

"It doesn't matter. Something odd's going on here, and we need to get to the bottom of it," Robin said, already setting up the video call.

As necessary as it had been, Robin was hesitant to reveal that this wouldn't be the first time he contacted the League in the past 24 hours. A desire for independence was one of the main reasons Robin left Gotham City. While he wasn't on bad terms with Batman, per say, they weren't exactly in regular contact either. When the Titans were founded, they had come to the mutual agreement that their problems were their own, and to leave the Justice League's problems to the Justice League. Even throughout Slade's threats and Trigon's reign, the Titans had managed to solve their problems on their own. However, this wasn't _just_ their problem. Martian Manhunter deserved to know that another Martian had survived their planet's destruction, and her disappearance would concern him greatly. Even though he wasn't able to be contacted at the moment, it was still the Justice League's concern.

The call was answered, and Kid Flash appeared on the screen. He sat reclining in a swivel chair, feet on the desk in front of him as he tapped his fingers impatiently.

"What's up guys?"

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Why are you answering the Justice League's calls?"

Kid Flash shrugged. "The Watchtower's kinda understaffed right now since like, half the League is in space. They left Black Canary, Hawkgirl, and my uncle here, but other than that it's mostly sidekicks and newer recruits. But that's-"

"KF? Do you still have my phone?"

"Just a minute Firestorm, I'm kind of in the minute of something," Kid Flash yelled.

Not listening, Firestorm flew into the room. "I need it now! I was supposed to be home 10 minutes ago! Oh man, my dad's going to freak…"

Kid Flash rolled his eyes, handing him the cell phone. "As I was saying, understaffed."

Firestorm glanced at the screen. "Wait, you're just now calling the Titans?"

Robin raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Kid Flash picked at the hem of his glove, sinking into his seat nervously.

"I may or may not have forgot to call you about that villain you fought yesterday. Superboy said you'd never seen them before, but from what we saw on the news it looked like Chemo."

Things began to click, though Robin wasn't sure why. While the name Chemo sounded familiar, he wasn't sure where he had heard it before. Over the years, he had fought many villains, and his colleagues fought even more. To keep track of them all would take too much effort- effort that a vigilantee didn't have to spare.

"Who is this Chemo you speak of?" Starfire asked, taking her place by Robin's side. Raven and Cyborg joined her, eager to discover the solution to at least one of their problems. "Is he a Martian as well?"

Kid Flash shook his head. "Not Martian- machine."

"Classic case of lab accident gone horribly wrong," Firestorm added.

"It was the last villain Aquaman fought before he disappeared. Aquagirl's convinced it's involved somehow. It would be nice to get it behind bars before she tries anything stupid," Kid Flash explained.

Robin frowned. Aquaman was missing too? When did that happen? Were any of the other members of the League missing?

"Do we know how to beat him?" Cyborg asked. "Because we haven't had any luck with that so far."

"I don't think _anyone_ has. He's escaped every time we've fought him, and no one knows what his weakness is yet."

Perfect. Just perfect.

" _Is that Robin? I need to talk to him."_

Kid Flash nearly jumped out of his seat.

"I thought we put a bell on you!" Kid Flash gasped.

Superboy frowned, walking towards the screen. "Are you done talking? It's kind of important."

Kid Flash nodded. "Yeah, just finishing up. If you could take over monitor duty for me that would be great. Come on Firestorm, I'm leaving too."

"Oh, that's right! You have to get ready for your _date,_ " Firestorm sang.

Kid Flash glared. "Don't make me hurt you."

With a quick goodbye, Robin watched as the honorary Titan left the room. Although he wished they could keep talking, as it had been far too long since their last real conversation, there were more important matters at hand. He couldn't help but feel nervous as Superboy sat down in the seat where his friend was previously sitting. Even though they now knew the name of the villain who had so elusively escaped from their grasp thus far, they were no closer to beating it. He couldn't help but feel as though whatever Superboy had to say would only make their situation worse.

"I called Beast Boy," Superboy revealed, fidgeting in his seat. "Something's definitely wrong."

Robin bit his lip. "Do you where he is?"

Superboy furrowed his brow. "I don't think so. Do _you_ know where he is?"

Robin didn't answer.

"He probably won't pick up if someone tries to call again," Cyborg guessed, shoulders slouched. "Do you remember anything he told you?"

"Just that he trusts her blindly. What did you say her name was?"

"M'yri'ah, I think," Raven said.

Superboy's look of concern switched to one of confusion.

"I have to go. We'll be in touch," he said, hanging up before anyone could respond.

Robin frowned, staring at the blank screen. They still didn't have any answers, and they weren't any closer to finding them either.

Or maybe…

"Cyborg, Firestorm said Chemo was a lab accident. Do you think there's any way you could find out more information?"

"I can try," Cyborg said, beginning the task immediately.

"Oh, how ever will we find Beast Boy? He must be found," Starfire insisted, pacing back and forth. Even Raven had pushed her book to the side, where it would stay.

Robin sighed, sitting down on the couch. He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes.

"I don't know, Star. If Aquaman went missing after fighting Chemo, there might be a connection. If we catch Chemo, we might figure out what happened."

He tried to sound confident, but the truth was that he couldn't even convince himself. As logical as it all sounded, there was still a voice in his head, screaming that he wasn't on the right path. Something just didn't seem right, and Robin was going to get to the bottom of it.

… **..**

 **Hi again! I'm really sorry it took a month to update. I hit writer's block pretty hard for this chapter, which sucked because I'm really looking forward to writing the next few. I hope you enjoyed the cameos of my trash sons, as Kid Flash and Firestorm are actually going to be in the next chapter quite a bit.**

 **As far as when the next update will be, I hate to say that I'm not sure yet. Right now my goal is to update at least 3 times during the month of May, since that seems more feasible than once a week, but we'll see.**

 **Again, thanks for understanding. Thank you everyone who has followed, reviewed, added the story to their favorites, or even just enjoyed the story! Like I said, it means a lot to me and I hope to do better about updating in the future.**

 **Quote of the day!**

" _I knew I had repressed memories of my birthday party!"_ -my sister

 **May the odds be ever in your favor,**

 **Spectrobes Princess**


	5. New Beginnings and Promises Made

7/25/18

 **...…..**

 **Change For The Better**

 **Chapter Four: New Beginnings and Promises Made**

… **.**

 _May 17, 2014_

Jinx tapped her boots nervously against the bottom step of her front porch. As she listened to the crickets chirping and watched the sun set across a coral and golden horizon, her life felt normal for once. She could easily pretend that she was an average teenager with an average life, sitting outside of the house she'd lived in since childhood while waiting for her date to arrive. It was the life she'd always wanted, a desire she had tried again and again to repress ever since the fateful day she was abducted. And even if she would never be normal, in this moment she could pretend.

As she ran her fingers along the bumpy concrete of the stairs, she felt lucky for once in her life. After the battle against the Brotherhood of Evil she was unsure about what her future would hold, but even in her wildest fantasies she never imagined things working out so smoothly. Although she fully expected to be arrested with the rest of the Brotherhood, the Justice League had provisions in place for criminals who wanted to turn over a new leaf. A clause in their contract with the government allowed the League to pardon criminals under certain conditions, notably if they agreed to attend therapy and aid the League or government in some way. Jinx was more than willing to comply, and the rest was history.

Much to Jinx's surprise, her old foster parents had jumped at the chance to take her in again. They had cared for her for most of her life up until she got her powers, and even though they weren't legally her family she always considered them as such. The Park family never stopped looking for her, even though she was sure they would've given up. While things were awkward between them, it was clear that they loved her regardless of all the things she did during her time with the HIVE. A picture of her sister on the day she was officially adopted was hanging in the family room. Their parents promised that Jinx's picture would soon hang next to it.

Before she could dwell on her gratitude to the point of boredom, Jinx felt a strong gust of wind whip through the air. As a faint smile formed on her lips, she stood to great her guests.

"You took your time," she said, dryly attempting to mask her excitement.

Kid Flash, who was more careless with his emotions, made no such attempt. The grin on his face was bright enough to light up the darkest of rooms, and he was twitching restlessly. "Sorry, Slowpoke. We had to make a few stops on the way."

The Flash smiled as well, putting a firm hand on his nephew's shoulder. "We'll let you know next time it happens. Are you ready to go?"

Giddy with excitement, Jinx nodded her head. Kid Flash extended a hand, which she eagerly took. Before they ran off to fight the Brotherhood together, he had warned her that most people got sick whenever he carried them while using his speed. However, for Jinx it was the most fun she'd had in years. She wasn't sure what she was more excited for- going on patrol in Central City for the first time or the chance to run with Kid Flash again.

In a split second they made it to their location. Carefully, Kid Flash set Jinx on the ground as she untangled her arms from his neck. Feeling herself begin to blush, she tried her best to avoid his eyes. Luckily for her, ironic as such a statement was, the Flash's base of operations gave her plenty to marvel at. All around her there were shelves filled of memorabilia from past cases, and newspaper articles were pinned to the walls. A gigantic screen, big enough to nearly cover one of the walls, displayed a map of the city. In the corner of the room were two bulletin boards. The first was covered in newspaper clippings and pictures of a man who Jinx immediately identified as The Reverse Flash, but the contents of the second were much different. The board was newer than the other, only containing a single picture of a teenage girl with long red hair. Thumbtacks littered the board, and the papers they previously held lay crumbled on the floor.

The Flash broke the silence and added, "We'll leave in just a minute, but until then make yourself at home. Vibe and Firestorm should be here soon. Jesse Quick is busy helping the Justice League take down Sinestro, but she said to let you know she's excited to meet you."

Kid Flash grinned, pulling on her arm. "Come on, I'll take you to the speed lab!"

The speed lab turned out to be the base's training center. The center of the room was filled with treadmills and other exercise equipment, while a set of stairs lead to a track that wrapped around the perimeter of the room. The walls of the track were glass, allowing a view of the room below. A speedometer was hanging next to the stairs, presumably to measure the speed of whichever speedster was inside. The room was large and open, and the faint scent of rubber exercise mats wafted through the air.

Much to Jinx's surprise, her new teammates had arrived at the speed lab earlier than expected. A teenage boy with flames for hair was sitting on one of the benches, balancing a chemistry book on his lap. The other meta, a young Latino man who was in his early twenties at the very oldest, was sitting across from him, helping him study. Judging by the scowls on their faces, it didn't seem to be working.

"Hey guys! Come meet Jinx!" Kid Flash yelled, grinning proudly.

The younger meta returned the grin, shoving the textbook off his lap eagerly. He flew over to them, holding out his hand for her to shake.

"Hey Jinx! KF told us so much about you. The name's Firestorm. I turn stuff into other stuff. As you may have already noticed, I'm also on fire. Pretty neat, right?"

Great, now there were two Kid Flashes. Just what she needed.

She smiled anyways, shaking his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Don't scare her, Stormy," the older meta teased, walking over. "Vibe's the name. You can call me Cisco if you want. Not much of a point keeping my identity a secret anymore."

Jinx shook his hand as well, and The Flash walked into the room.

"Really, Cisco? Again?"

Vibe grinned, clapping Jinx on the shoulder. "They always find out sooner or later. Besides, I'm not the one who forgot to put his mask on in a room full of kids."

" _That_ was nearly ten years ago," The Flash scowled, though Jinx could tell he was fighting the urge to laugh. "And if I'm remembering correctly I had to stop you from showing off your powers to your entire junior high science class like a month later."

Behind his goggles, Vibe's eyes glimmered with amusement. "But I didn't."

The Flash smiled, shaking his head. "But you didn't."

"I got here a little early to help Firestorm do some studying. There wasn't really a point in meeting somewhere else if we were just going to end up at the base anyways," Vibe awkwardly explained.

"That's okay, you're fine. It's good that you got here early. One of the owners of Smoak Tech just called. She wants to meet with us as soon as possible. Something about a threat to their business?"

Firestorm groaned. "Yeah, that's me. I... well. I may or may not have trashed the place stopping Plastique last week."

"She mentioned Plastique, but I don't think you're the reason she called," The Flash admitted. "Don't worry about it too much. You're still new to this."

Vibe nodded his head in agreement as Kid Flash added, "I messed up plenty when I first got my powers. You're actually doing a lot better than I did."

Jinx frowned, watching the rest of the group intently. She couldn't help but realize just how out of place she was. When she was little, she could remember watching The Flash on the news and idolizing his heroics. Even though Vibe and Kid Flash had been heroes for a slightly smaller amount of time, making their first appearances within a year or two of Jinx receiving her powers, they were far from amateurs. And even though he _was_ new to the world of superheroes, she had been a villain before Firestorm even _got_ his powers. Sure, she had the skills necessary to fight off whatever enemies she needed to, regardless of what side her opponent was fighting for, but villainy and heroism weren't merely two sides of the same coin. She didn't know what she was doing, or where her boundaries were. To the rest of the world, she would never be seen as a true hero like her teammates. Just an ex-villain.

Seeing the camaraderie of her teammates reminded her of yet another painful truth. Her status as a former criminal wasn't the only thing that marked her as an outsider. The rest of the group knew each other from years of fighting alongside one another. Sure, she was acquainted with Flash, and she could say she met Vibe and Firestorm, but she still felt like an outsider glancing in on a close circle of friends. The only person she knew was Kid Flash, and even then having a small (and painfully mutual) crush didn't really mean she knew him. Even though he knew her real name, she still didn't know his.

She knew it was wrong, but she missed the HIVE Five.

Firestorm picked at his glove nervously. "Yeah, but she seemed pretty mad. Are you sure I can't just sit this one out?"

"Did she have black hair or red?"

"Black, I think?"

"Yeah, she can be like that," The Flash sighed. "Luckily it was the other owner who called. You should be good."

"Oh. Sweet," Firestorm said dully.

Kid Flash smirked. "Then problem solved. Come on Jinx, I'll drop you off first."

With that, she was off to her first mission as a hero.

Or maybe just an ex-villain.

…

"He's being unreasonable. I want to believe it as much as he does, but it's just not possible. You understand, right?"

Superboy stared into the night sky, tiny white stars twinkling back to him in response. It was a hot, muggy night, although there was too much on his mind for him to notice the humidity. As he sat on the roof of a barn at his grandparents' farm, the outside world seemed light-years away.

"You wanted me to keep an eye on Gar, and I didn't. This is my fault, and I'm going to fix it whether he likes it or not."

Superboy sighed, balling his hand into a fist. He clenched his teeth, fighting back tears.

"It's my fault that you're gone. It's all because of a stupid mistake, and I refuse to let it happen again."

The stars twinkled silently as a single tear slid down his cheek.

"I miss you, M'gann. I'll figure out what's going on with Gar. I promise."

… **..**

 **Hi again guys! I'm really sorry it took so long to update. Thank you so much for being patient with me!**

 **Anyways, a few notes about this chapter. In case you haven't picked up on this by now, I like to take different parts of different canons and smash them together. I know that Vibe and Firestorm don't usually live in Central City, and that Miss Martian and Beast Boy don't really have that much to do with each other, but I liked how The Flash and Young Justice respectively changed those little details so I added it in anyways. I'm not done playing with canon like that either, so keep your eyes out for more fun little Easter eggs in the future.**

 **I know this chapter seems like filler, but it's building up to something important. We'll be back to the Titans next chapter ;)**

 **Thank you everyone who followed, reviewed, and added this story to their favorites! I'll try my best to update sooner next time!**

 **Quote of the day:**

" _Captain Good Boy has just been demoted to Lieutenant Good Boy_ ," -me after the dog was found raiding a basket of dirty laundry

 **Until next time,**

 **~Spectrobes Princess**


	6. Revelations

1/4/19

… **.**

 **Change For The Better**

 **Chapter Five: Revelations**

… **..**

May 18, 2014

The shrieks of civilians masked the blaring of the alarm as Chemo pushed through the crowd. Slowly, it inched its way towards the edge of the pier. It was drawn to the water, beckoning it like the call of a siren. Citizens tried their best to scatter, doing whatever they could to avoid the machine towering over them.

Suddenly, a birdarang hit it in the shoulder. A small blast of electricity sizzled out of it, sending Chemo's body into convulsions. It sank to the ground but reformed itself in the blink of an eye.

Robin scowled, but retained his composure. If only it were that easy.

"Titans, Go!" he announced, tossing another birdarang at Chemo.

This time, the weapon missed its mark and sank into the ocean. Robin swore under his breath, watching as Raven and Cyborg did their best to move the remaining civilians out of harm's reach. Starfire soared above Chemo's head, throwing starbolts at her target rapidly. Pulling his bo staff out of his utility belt, Robin raced forward and whacked it in the leg.

Chemo froze in place, its body turning to steel. Cyborg quickly zapped it with his cannon, but it bounced off its body and nearly hit Cyborg in return. Robin clenched his teeth and waited for Chemo to morph into a different material, then jumped forward to hit it with his staff again. As he jumped back to dodge a blow, a war-like scream pierced the air. Robin turned his head to look for the source, only to be knocked back by a massive wave of water.

Robin winced, forcing himself back to his feet. The mask mostly kept the salt water out of his eyes, but what little did manage to invade _stung_.

"Take that, you fiend!" a distant voice shrieked.

Robin looked up as the owner of the voice came closer. Riding on the waves themselves stood a young girl who appeared to be no older than 15. Her choppy brunette hair was tossed by the wind, and a scowl was etched onto her face. Despite being surrounded by water, her pastel yellow uniform remained completely dry. Although the rest of the Titans were confused by her sudden appearance, Robin was not. He merely sighed, brushing the sand off his arm.

"Go home, Aquagirl!" he yelled, readying his bo staff. "We have this under control!"

"Not without my brother!" she shrieked.

Another tsunami crashed into Chemo, but it remained unfazed. Robin watched as the other Titans raced towards Chemo, readying their attacks. But Chemo was no longer focused on the ragtag group of teens. Instead, it turned to Aquagirl. Looking her directly in the eyes, it shot a blast of chemicals in her direction.

With a screech of pain, Aquagirl hit the ground.

…

Beast Boy sighed, leaning against the smudged window next to him. The diner they stopped at for lunch had a rather peaceful atmosphere, and it was starting to lull him to sleep. The events of the past few days (heck, the past few months, even) were beginning to catch up to him, and he was utterly exhausted. He was _definitely_ going to take a nap when they got back on the bus.

Convincing M'yri'ah to take public transportation was a difficult affair. Although she wanted to be seen by as few people as possible, it was the fastest way to get to Gotham City. She understood that time wasn't on their side, and she eventually sided with the young shapeshifter, but she made it very clear that she wasn't happy about it. At least no one seemed to care that a Titan was on the bus with them. So few people had asked for autographs that Beast Boy was certain it was a new record.

He sat up straight when he noticed M'yri'ah staring at him quizzically.

"I'm okay," he yawned. "Just a little tired. That's all."

M'yri'ah smiled as she responded telepathically. _"I'm glad to hear it. Although I must admit I am curious as to how an Earthling as young as yourself has met a White Martian."_

"Oh, that," Beast Boy responded nervously. "It's kind of a long story."

" _We have time. The next bus doesn't leave for another hour."_

Beast Boy sighed, glancing around at the nearly abandoned diner. Although there was barely anyone there, he didn't quite feel comfortable sharing this story with just anyone. Reluctantly, he switched to using the mind link.

" _My childhood wasn't exactly what you'd call normal. Before they met, Mom was an actress and Dad was a biologist who worked for the Justice Society. They both retired after they got married, and eventually they started up a wildlife reserve in Africa. That's where I grew up."_

" _That must have been exciting,"_ M'yri'ah mused.

Beast Boy nodded. _"Yeah. I guess I didn't realize it, though. I mean, that was just how my life was. It was normal for me. Martian Manhunter was one of Dad's best friends, so he stopped by a lot. After his niece stowed away on his ship, she ended up staying at the reserve a lot when J'onn went on missions."_

" _Ah, yes. The White Martian."_

Beast Boy cringed, trying to ignore the disdain in M'yri'ah's tone.

" _M'gann was my best friend,"_ he explained defensively. _"She saved my life."_

M'yri'ah studied his expression carefully. _"And that's how you got your powers?"_

Beast Boy nodded.

" _I suppose they weren't all bad,"_ M'yri'ah mused, poking around at her lunch with her fork. _"Forgive me for my outburst. I am still quite shocked from being attacked yesterday."_

Beast Boy bit his lip, refusing to react to the apology. He knew it could be twisted as an acceptance of her behavior if he wasn't careful. As much as he wanted to hold on to this last link to M'gann, he was beginning to discover that M'yri'ah wasn't all she originally appeared to be.

When he didn't respond, M'yri'ah changed the subject.

" _Are you and J'onn close?"_

Beast Boy shook his head. Sure, he and Martian Manhunter had conversed before, but he wouldn't say they were close. He knew that logically they should be, but they never really made an emotional connection. They were remnants of each other's pasts and they cared for each other deeply, but it wasn't like they met up for a monthly brunch or anything.

" _He's kind of like extended family to me,"_ Beast Boy explained. _"We're there for each other when we need to be, but we don't really know each other that well."_

" _I see,"_ M'yri'ah replied.

There was an awkward pause until Beast Boy blurted out the question lingering at the back of his mind.

" _When I said I knew J'onn's niece, you knew she was a White Martian. Did you know her?"_

M'yri'ah stared out the window, watching the crowds on the street intently. _"We were on the same escape pod. I remember her rather vividly. She makes quite the impression."_

Beast Boy felt a pang of disappointment. All his hopes that M'gann was still alive had been crushed. If she had somehow managed to survive, M'yri'ah would've mentioned it by now. He swallowed the lump in his throat, blinking back the tears that threatened to emerge.

" _Did she mention me? Or maybe a boy named Conner?"_

M'yri'ah hesitated.

" _I don't remember."_

Beast Boy squeezed his eyes shut, clenching his fist tightly. No, she wouldn't have cared enough to talk about them. Not after the way they treated her. Besides, her life was on the line. M'gann would've had more important things to worry about than the "friends" who broke her heart.

 _Just keep going, Gar,_ he told himself. _If you can help M'yri'ah, maybe it will make up for what happened._

He wasn't entirely convinced.

Starfire stood back and watched as Raven assessed Aquagirl's wounds. Chemical burns trailed up the young Atlantian's freckled arms, burning through her pastel yellow uniform in places. Her shoulders were slouched in defeat, and she was clearly holding back tears. It took every ounce of self-restraint Starfire had to refrain from tackling the pitiful figure before her in a bear hug. She knew it would only make things worse, judging by the way her face twisted in pain every time Raven's hands brushed against the burns.

"I'm such an idiot," Aquagirl whispered, clenching her teeth.

Robin shook his head, taking a seat across from their guest. He gestured for Starfire to sit in the chair next to him, which she did hesitantly. She hated feeling this useless. There was nothing she could do to stop Chemo, nothing she could do to help Aquagirl, and most pressingly there was nothing she could do to find Beast Boy. Too much had happened in such a short span of time. Was it too much to ask for her life back?

"You're not an idiot, Tula," Robin said. "You weren't thinking clearly."

Aquagirl frowned, biting her lip as she considered this. Starfire reached out and squeezed her hand carefully. Their eyes met briefly before Aquagirl jerked her hand away and hissed in pain.

" _Owwwww_ ," she whined, turning to Raven. "What was that for?"

Raven almost seemed amused. "Your burns will heal faster now. You're welcome."

Her attention immediately snapped to her forearm, which was slowly beginning to return to its natural color.

"Woah," she whispered, eyes as big as saucers. She looked back up at Raven, grinning gleefully. "That's totally wicked!"

Cyborg laughed at her reaction, clapping Raven on the shoulder. Raven seemed a bit annoyed, but said nothing of it.

Aquagirl rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "I know Robin, but I don't think I've met the rest of you. Princess Tula of Atlantis, at your service."

She extended her hand to Starfire, who shook it carefully. She wasn't sure how the brunette managed to rebound from the verge of tears so quickly, but it didn't seem polite to bring it up again.

"Princess?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mmhm," Aquagirl hummed. "Aquaman's my half-brother. You… haven't seen him around, have you?"

Cyborg frowned. "Sorry, haven't seen him."

"I believe Kid Flash said he was missing," Starfire said.

Aquagirl's mood dropped again, her shoulders slumping in disappointment. "Figures. Everyone in Atlantis thinks Xebel took him, but I just know it was Chemo. I've been following his trail for the past week, but I've still got nothing. Being on my own hasn't helped."

"What about Aqualad?" Robin asked.

Aquagirl's cheeks turned bright pink, and she ducked her head in embarrassment. "Oh. Um… I was on my way to Steel City to find him when I heard Chemo was in Jump. I was hoping that Titans East might be able to help, but they've probably been busy cleaning up the Brotherhood's mess. Ga- _Aqualad_ doesn't have time for me, anyways. He's pretty busy, you know? I don't want to be a bother."

"Perhaps we could be of assistance," Starfire suggested. "Our friend Beast Boy has gone missing as well. Surely if we find one of them, the other may be near."

"Are you sure?" Aquagirl asked shyly. "If he's not with my brother, I don't want to distract you from finding him."

Robin frowned. "We have a suspect, and I have reason to believe she has connections to Chemo. Starfire's right. Our best bet is to stick together. We'll wait until your burns are healed, then we'll set out. Raven, can you stay with Aquagirl for a minute? I need to talk to Cyborg and Starfire."

Raven nodded, and Starfire had a sinking suspicion that she and Robin had already discussed whatever it was she was about to hear. With a quick wave to Aquagirl, she followed her two remaining teammates out of the med bay.

"Not to start a fight or anything, but why are we trusting Aquagirl but not M'yri'ah? She might be leading us into a trap too," Cyborg pointed out.

"You have a point," Robin sighed. "I've known Aquagirl for as long as I've been Robin, but with everything going on right now I'm still hesitant to trust her."

Starfire frowned. "Was it the wrong choice to offer our alliance?"

Robin shook his head. "No, you were right. Beast Boy was too. We can't refuse to help people just because we don't know their intentions. I've realized that now. I just wish Beast Boy would've talked to us about leaving first."

"Is that what this is about?"

"Yeah, actually," Robin admitted. "Part of the reason why I wanted to wait before agreeing to help M'yri'ah is because I don't have all the details. Mars was destroyed around the time I became Batman's sidekick, so I wasn't around to deal with the aftermath. But what I do know is that there were very few Martians on the escape pods whose bodies weren't found."

"If they were on the escape pods, why did they still perish?" Starfire asked.

Robin frowned. "Their civilization collapsed because of a telepathically spread virus. The Martians who managed to make it to the pods didn't realize that some of them were already infected."

"Do you know the names of the Martians who weren't found?" Cyborg asked.

"Details are kept under a pretty tight lockdown. All I know is that one of them was Martian Manhunter's niece. The name M'yri'ah sounds familiar, though. The GCPD has a file that contains details about the Martian escape pods, but until Kid Flash can get back to me on that there's no way of knowing who she is for sure."

Starfire sighed. "Whoever she truly is, she has already lied about Chemo being a White Martian. I fear that she may have lied about other things as well."

Cyborg frowned, glancing back at the door to the med bay. "Whatever's going on, I just hope Beast Boy's okay."

… **.**

 **Hi again! I'm sorry it's been such a long wait. I started my senior year of high school and since then I haven't had much free time. This year I'm really going to try to manage my time better in preparation for college though, so hopefully I'll be updating more. Just… maybe after I clean out my emails. I have chapter notifications from as early as July that I still need to read *hides in the corner of shame*.**

 **I think it's pretty ironic that the chapter I chose to introduce Aquagirl ended up getting published so soon after the Aquaman movie was released. I've had this fic outlined for months and I haven't even watched the movie yet, so I can definitely say this wasn't planned. I'm having a good laugh over it, though. Tula's always been one of my favorite minor/background DC characters, so I hope I did her justice. I know that in the comics where she's related to Arthur they're step siblings rather than half siblings, but when I was doing world building for this story I forgot about that. It made more sense with the backstory I created to leave them as half siblings though, so half siblings they shall remain.**

 **Thank you everyone who followed, reviewed, and added this story to your favorites! We're starting to get to the good stuff, and I can't wait for you guys to read the next few chapters! I have a new system for updates that I'm going to try, and if it works I should have an update (or two!) ready by early February. It's not exactly ideal, but with everything going on right now I don't want to push myself beyond my limits.**

 **Quote of the day!**

" _I meant a silencer for the tags on pet collars! Why would PetCo sell the other kind of silencer?"_

" _To be fair, the Denny's parking lot sells silencers too if you know where to look."_

-an actual conversation that happened at Bible study tonight

 **Stay whelmed,**

 **Spectrobes Princess**


	7. Moving Target

Posted 2/25/19

… **.**

 **Change For The Better**

 **Chapter Six: Moving Target**

… **.…..…..…..….…..….….….**

 _May 19, 2014_

Raven sighed in annoyance, slowly turning the page of her book. It had been a slow day, perhaps the most peaceful the Titans had experienced in a while. Cyborg was monitoring the city meticulously, but so far the day's crime rate was at a record low. Robin was obsessively tracking down information on Chemo, to the point that Raven was pretty sure he hadn't actually eaten anything all day. Starfire, meanwhile, had taken it upon herself to entertain their impromptu guest, taking her on an extended tour of the tower and joyfully retelling the stories of their past endeavors. It served as a good enough distraction from the stress both girls were suffering from, and Raven was thankful to see Starfire smiling again. As for Aquagirl herself, her burns were healing at a faster rate than Raven initially expected. Perhaps they would be able to leave sooner, rather than later.

Which only left Raven. There wasn't much she could do to help out, as the other Titans pretty much had everything under control. She started the day by doing what she could, soon retiring to finish reading the lengthy novel the week's events previously forced her to abandon. At first, the change of pace had been welcome. After all, it was a decent book and she was eager to reach the ending. However, the more she read, the more she could feel guilt knotting up in her stomach. Raven tried to pass it off as reading the emotions of her teammates, but as time went on it became increasingly clear that the feelings were her own.

She knew it was irrational. Sure it was the status quo for her to be the cause for Beast Boy's problems, but it genuinely wasn't her fault this time. However, guilt has a funny way of taking over regardless. She began to wonder if there was something she could have done to prevent this. Maybe if she wouldn't have argued with Beast Boy as much, he would've went to her for advice before gallivanting around the continent with a stranger. Maybe if she wasn't such a loner, she would've noticed he was gone before it was too late.

Maybe if she would've tried harder, Terra would still be alive.

Raven frowned, turning back to her book, but the image of Terra's statue standing alone in the cold was burned into her mind. Maybe she should visit. There was no evidence that Terra was aware of her surroundings in her stony prison, and Raven wasn't the sentimental type anyways, so she usually avoided reopening those wounds unless there was another spell to try. But behind the image of her friend's hollow shell she could hear Beast Boy's insistence that she had returned. The more Raven thought about it, the greater the sense of urgency grew. Biting her lip, Raven carefully replaced her bookmark. She had a cave to visit.

And then Starfire came flying into the room.

"Raven!" Aquagirl squealed, sprinting behind her fellow heroine. She leaned against the couch, panting heavily. "Quick, turn on the news!"

"Yes friend," Starfire insisted, searching for the remote in a panicked frenzy. "Please be of assistance! Robin and Cyborg shall be here soon as well!"

Sure enough, Robin and Cyborg ran into the room as Starfire turned on the TV. She flipped through the channels until the news popped up on the screen. A reporter was standing in the center of the screen, eerily calm as she discussed the details of the latest tragedy.

 _"-_ _previously spotted in Jump City. Officers believe this mysterious creature to be the super villain known as Chemo."_

"Wait, this report isn't coming from Jump. Chemo must be on the move."

Tula nodded. "It came from Star City. Green Arrow's sidekicks almost caught Chemo before it slipped away."

Robin frowned, moving to the computer. The news station was replaced by a screen filled with the names of heroes. While this itself wasn't unusual, as this contact list had been in their system ever since the first honorary Titan joined, there were several new members that had been added recently.

"When did we get that?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Since the last time we called the watchtower," Cyborg explained. "We had to add a few new members to the system in case Chemo showed up again."

Robin hit the call button, and the remaining Titans waited anxiously. Soon, Kid Flash's face popped up on the screen.

"You know, funny story. I was just about to call- Aquagirl?"

"Surprise?" she said weakly.

Kid Flash sighed. "Okay, not even gonna ask. Look, I was talking to a friend from Star City and she says she thought she saw Beast Boy the day he disappeared."

"Which is where Chemo is now," Robin said.

Raven frowned. If it wasn't clear that there was a connection between M'yri'ah and Chemo before, it was painfully obvious now. The only questions were how and why.

"Exactly. I can handle the city for you if you need to go look around," Kid Flash offered.

"Thanks for the offer, but other than Chemo things have been pretty slow around here lately. The cops should be able to take care of the city while we're gone, but feel free to help out if they need anything."

"Sounds like a plan. I'm booked for the next hour anyways, but let me know if you change your mind. I can make an excuse. Kid Flash out!"

Biding his old friend farewell, Robin turned off the screen and turned to face his teammates.

"Sounds to me like we're going to Star City," Cyborg said. "Aquagirl, are you feeling up to it?"

The Atlantian nodded quickly. "Better than ever! Come on guys, we've got a machine to catch!"

"Okay team, lets meet at the T-Car in 15 minutes. We need to get there before Chemo has the chance to leave."

Raven nodded in agreement, but she felt her stomach knotting up at the thought of leaving. 15 minutes wasn't enough time to check the cave, either. There was clearly more to this situation than what was merely on the surface level, and as Terra herself taught them, proceeding without all the details could prove to be lethal.

… **.**

 ***long dramatic sigh* Hey guys. Sorry I took so dang long again. I intended to have this posted like, two weeks ago, but then I checked my planner and boom! I got slapped in the face by those horrible fiends known as deadlines. Basically, college planning hasn't slowed down as much as I hoped it would. I'm too stubborn to go on a hiatus, though. I'll make this work if it kills me!**

 **(Well, I probably won't go that far, but you get the point. I've accepted the fact that if I go to vet school I'll have to take a hiatus during the school year, but that's still a few years away. That being said, with my track record for updating I'll post the epilogue for this story the day I get accepted, lol.)**

 **If this chapter seemed short, it's because there was originally another Jinx POV in there. I just didn't get it finished in time to post with the rest of the chapter, and I figured I'd left you guys hanging long enough. The next chapter will probably be a long one due to this.**

 **Quote of the day:**

" _So, what are you going to do about it?"_

" _Probably something stupid."_

-How to Train Your Dragon 3, Astrid and Hiccup

 **May the odds be ever in your favor,**

 **Spectrobes Princess**


End file.
